Warriors: The Lost: Muted Light
by Th Ghst f Slss Frnc
Summary: Summary inside. The Fanfic is written like Power of the Three, with Graypaw being the main character. Angst, drama, action--you know, the normal? All OC characters. At the Lake. Title sucks, sorry. T for violence.
1. Allegiances

_A/N: I would like to thank my sole reviewer so far, Lady Chocobo, who gave me some helpful concrit and told me I was moving this Fanfic along too fast. Hence, that is why I decided to revise some of what I've written (the patchy allegiances and mile-a-minute first chapter). Personally, I think it's FAR better than it was originally and has a personal touch to it most of my other Fanfics don't have. I'll be posting the first and second chapter today, as well, and I hope any potential reader takes the time to read them. I now also have a beta, so most of my next chapters should be beta'd. _

_So, if my Fanfic is magically much better than before, you can thank the awesome Pinefur, who was nice enough to agree to beta the next chapters (just note the allegiances, first, and second chapters have not been edited)._

_Sadly, as you can tell, I am lacking a Prologue. If you have any ideas on what the Prologue should be about, please tell me via PM or review (and, yes, I accept anonymous reviews). _

_The Summary of "Muted Light": Graykit is just like any other cat, any other kit in ThunderClan. She is mischevious and playful, loves her littermate, Moonkit, dearly, and her mother is her rock, her guiding light. But, something has been leading her to believe something about her may be special. Dreams with cats she's never met are common and she's beginning to realize some of those cats are real--just in other Clans. The medicine cat, Rocknose, also seems to treat her differently when he finally meets her. She hopes desperately this all means nothing, but something has been building in the Clans for a long time--secrets that need to be uncovered and stories needed to be told._

_Wow. That Summary turned out....dramatic. Well, I suppose that was my intent and the Fanfic itself is supposed to grasp that Warriors-esque action/drama...._

_Anyway, here's the allegiances. If the allegiances in the Warriors books bore you, head on to "chapter two" or, in reality, chapter one. _

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___ALLEGIANCES_

**----THUNDERCLAN**

LEADER

**SANDSTAR**--light ginger she-cat with amber eyes

DEPUTY

**RAINHEART**--thick-pelted mottled gray tom

MEDICINE CAT

**ROCKNOSE—**long-haired darker gray tom with amber eyes

WARRIORS

**CLOUDPELT**--pretty white she-cat with pale blue eyes

**DUSTCLAW**--pale brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**APPRENTICE, JAYPAW**

**LIONLEAP**--golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**APPRENTICE, CINDERPAW**

**SUNCLAW**--light ginger tom with a tabby-striped tail

**APPRENTICE, HAZELPAW**

**SNOWFALL**--large white she-cat

**BRAMBLETHORN**--large dark brown tabby tom

**ASHSTORM**--pale gray tom

**MOSSTAIL**--gray tom with darker flecks and green eyes

**CROWHEART--**dark brown tabby tom with one white paw and amber eyes

APPRENTICES

**CINDERPAW**--long-legged pale gray she-cat with fluffy fur

**JAYPAW**--sleek light gray tabby tom

**HAZELPAW**--light brown tabby she-cat

QUEENS

**FROSTCLAW**--gray-and-white she-cat with pale blue eyes (mother of Moonkit, silvery-gray tabby she-cat, and Graykit, a dark gray she-cat)

**RUSSETDAWN**--dark ginger she-cat with green eyes (mother of Tawnykit, a gold tabby she-cat with creamy stripes, and Redkit, a reddish tabby tom with amber eyes)

ELDERS

**THRUSHFUR--**light brown tom

**SPOTTEDPELT--**once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat

**----SHADOWCLAN**

LEADER

**THORNSTAR**--dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes

DEPUTY

**CEDARFANG**--large, thick-pelted very dark gray tom

MEDICINE CAT

**THRUSHFEATHER**--long-haired pale brown tabby she-cat

**APPRENTICE, ROWANPAW **(small, light ginger tom with darker paws)

WARRIORS

**CLOUDSTORM**--mottled dark gray tom with blue eyes

**TALONSTRIKE**--dark brown tabby tom

**APPRENTICE, MOUSEPAW **(light brown she-cat)

**NIGHTFROST**--black-and-white she-cat with ice-blue eyes

**ADDERFANG**--large, pale brown tabby tom

**DARKFOOT**--dark brown tabby tom with black feet

**TAWNYLEG**--sandy-gray she-cat

**APPRENTICE, IVYPAW **(tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes)

**BRIARSCAR**--dark brown she-cat

**APPRENTICE, FLAMEPAW **(dark ginger tom with amber eyes)

**MOONHEART**--silvery-gray tabby she-cat

**SCORCHCLAW**--sleek gray tom

**BLACKNOSE**--white tom with black spotted fur

**APPRENTICE, DAWNPAW **(pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes)

**SMOKE-EYE**--dark gray tom

**OWLTAIL**--mottled light brown tabby tom with a white chest

QUEENS

**GRAYWILLOW**--pretty pale gray she-cat (mother of Oakkit, a pale-brown-tabby-and-white tom, and Runningkit, a black tom)

ELDERS

**SNAKESTRIKE—**pale tabby tom

**----WINDCLAN**

LEADER

**BREEZESTAR**--large dark gray tom with green eyes

**APPRENTICE, HAREPAW **(brown tabby tom)

DEPUTY

**SEDGEHEART**--pale brown tabby tom with piercing amber eyes

MEDICINE CAT

**ASHPELT**--small gray she-cat

**APPRENTICE, WHITEPAW **(long-haired white she-cat)

WARRIORS

**WINDFUR**--very light gray she-cat with pale green eyes

**APPRENTICE, FIREPAW **(bright ginger tom)

**WEASELCLAW**--dark brown tom

**APPRENTICE, HEATHERPAW **(pale brown tabby she-cat)

**SUNHEART**--sandy-colored tom

**OWLSTRIKE**--light-brown-tabby-and-white tom

**APPRENTICE, FLOWERPAW **(pale ginger she-cat with white paws)

**NIGHTSTREAM**--dark gray she-cat with light blue eyes

**TORNHEART**--brown tabby tom with white paws and amber eyes

**LEAFSTORM**--light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**EMBERWATCHER**--dark gray tom with blue eyes

QUEENS

**SWALLOWFLIGHT**--dark gray she-cat (mother of Graykit, a very pale gray she-cat, Stormkit, a small, mottled gray tom, and Thistlekit, a pale brown tabby tom)

ELDERS

**ONE-EAR**--small, pale ginger-and-white tom

**----RIVERCLAN**

LEADER

**COPPERSTAR**--dappled golden she-cat

DEPUTY

**HAILSPLASH**--broad-shouldered, light gray tom with huge paws

**APPRENTICE, RUSHPAW **(pale ginger tom with amber eyes)

MEDICINE CAT

**MISTYPOOL**--thick-pelted pale gray she-cat with bright blue eyes

WARRIORS

**HEAVYFOOT**--dark brown tabby tom

**TROUTLEAP**--thickset light brown tabby tom

**REEDFOOT**--dark ginger tom

**APPRENTICE, PETALPAW **(dark ginger-and-white she-cat with green eyes)

**HAWKWING**--brown tabby tom with light amber eyes

**STONEHEART**--pale gray tom with yellow eyes

**RIPPLETAIL**--mottled dark gray tom with piercing amber eyes

**PEBBLEWHISKER**--pale gray she-cat with white paws and blue eyes

**APPRENTICE, VOLEPAW **(light brown tom)

**LOUDSTORM**--dark gray tom with a white belly

**SWIFTBROOK**--small, long-haired gray she-cat

QUEENS

**FROSTPOOL**--pale gray she-cat with green eyes (mother of Blackkit, a black tom with green eyes, and Brightkit, a white-and-dark-gray she-cat with amber eyes)

ELDERS

**OTTERLEAP**--long-haired light brown she-cat

**WETFOOT**--gray tom with fur that stands up at all angles

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_A/N: No, you don't have to review this allegiances....please just read the next chapter! And, remember--hits are wonderful, but reviews are awesome._


	2. Chapter 1: Devastation

_A/N: Well, I accidentally scrapped the original Author's Note for this. But, I would like to thank the person who reviewed this chapter when it was still in draft form--Lady Chocobo. You brave, brave soul. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave me a nice little review. The Summary remains the same. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. I only wish no one steals my plot or characters. _

_Oh, and if you actually--gasp--like this Fanfic, you're in luck since I've started writing the fifth chapter I believe. Sinking into Graykit/Graypaw's perspective is all too easy, believe me. Which, I suppose, is a good thing. Except, I can't make money off it. That's the one bad thing to writing Fanfics instead of original stories, even if I do both...._

_Anyway--enjoy!_

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**Chapter One: Devastation**

Graykit let out a huff, and tried to dodge her mother's licks.

"I can groom myself!" Graykit hissed quietly.

She didn't want Cinderpaw, Hazelpaw, or Jaypaw seeing her mother grooming her.

Frostclaw rolled her pale blue eyes and licked Graykit's right ear once more before backing off. "I just want you to look decent for your apprentice ceremony."

Graykit just huffed once again and raced over to her sister, Moonkit.

Moonkit's silvery tabby fur was groomed to perfection, lying flat against her, sleek and soft-looking.

Her fur, though, was bristling along her shoulders and back with excitement, her paws unsheathing and sheathing as she sat down at the base of the Highledge, waiting for their leader to step out onto the expanse of light-colored rock.

She felt Moonkit freeze against her side, as Sandstar finally stepped out onto the smooth, pale whitish stone.

Sandstar's paws hit the rock lightly, until she sat down, tucking her tail around her paws, chest pressed forward proudly.

Her whiskers twitched once before she mewed loudly, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!"

Graykit looked behind her, seeing how many cats would come to watch. Almost every cat in the Clan did, which amazed her.

_Why do they all want to see my sister and I become apprentices, anyway? _she wondered.

She sat straighter, though, her fur fluffing more in nervousness. But, she was overjoyed that they came. She spotted a few familiar cats--Ashtorm, a pale gray tom with a permanent depressed look to him; the deputy, a gigantic, thick-pelted, mottled gray tom named Rainheart; and Lionleap, a golden brown tabby tom with brilliant amber eyes that gleamed in the light.

"Moonkit," Sandstar began in a soft mew.

Graykit looked back up at Sandstar, looking away from the last cat her gaze had fallen on, a white she-cat called Snowfall (who was their mother's sister). Moonkit stepped forward a paw-step timidly, her legs shaking a tiny bit.

"Come on," Sandstar encouraged and Moonkit came to sit in the shadows of the Highledge.

Sandstar's eyes gleamed as she glanced down at Graykit, a darker gray she-cat, and Moonkit, the smaller of the two, whose silvery tabby pelt reminded her of the sleekness of a RiverClan cat's coat. "This is a proud day for ThunderClan, by naming apprentices we show ThunderClan will survive and remain strong. Moonkit, from now on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Moonpaw."

Moonpaw trembled with excitement, eyes bright, and Graykit let her fur brush her sister's, to show how happy she was for her.

Sandstar then looked over at Mosstail.

"Mosstail, you are ready for an apprentice, you will be Moonkit's mentor. I know you will pass on your wisdom and love for your Clan to Moonpaw and teach her the skills that will make her a brave warrior of ThunderClan." she meowed, her mew booming across the clearing.

Mosstail blinked twice, eyes wide as moons. He seemed completely stunned as he padded over to Moonpaw, his gait slightly unsteady. He touched noses with Moonpaw, and then sat beside her, tail wrapped around his fore paws.

Sandstar looked pleased. "Graykit, step forward," she mewed next.

Graykit had been in a slight daze, watching her sister's ceremony, and her eyes darted to Sandstar's before she quickly got to her paws and padded up to sit close to where Moonpaw had.

"Graykit, from now on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Graypaw." Sandstar meowed warmly.

_I'm finally an apprentice! _Graypaw sat taller, feeling ecstatic.

Sandstar glanced over at a large, dark brown tabby tom that Graypaw didn't know yet, even if she'd smelled his scent wafting into the nursery once or twice.

"Bramblethorn, you are ready for an apprentice, you will be Graypaw's mentor. I know you will pass on your courage and fierce loyalty to Graypaw and teach her the skills that will make her a brave warrior of ThunderClan." Sandstar mewed gently and Bramblethorn padded over slowly to Graypaw's side.

Graypaw almost vibrated with complete excitement as Bramblethorn leaned over and touched his wet, black nose to her much smaller, gray one. He purred softly as he leaned back, amber eyes glinting.

"Moonpaw! Graypaw!" Frostclaw yowled, starting up the chant, which all the other Clan cats who had come to watch continued.

"Graypaw! Moonpaw!" Jaypaw caterwauled and he nudged Graypaw from behind with his muzzle, his eyes alight with vague fondness.

As the chant died down, Moonpaw glanced over at the apprentice den.

"Come on, let's go see where our nests are!" her sister exclaimed, and then dashed off.

Graypaw purred loudly, still thrilled about being an apprentice now, as she padded over to the apprentice den. She entered through the dense bracken as the sun continued to sink down behind the sheer stone wall and thick growth of bramble, ferns, and now-flowering gorse. She glanced back over her shoulder, eyeing the darkening sky, and then padded into the large apprentice den, much less crowded than the nursery.

Hazelpaw, a light brown tabby she-cat, and Jaypaw were wrestling on the dirt ground, avoiding the nests that were deeper inside the den as they tangled together and swatted at each other with sheathed claws.

Cinderpaw was already curled up on her nest, her fluffy tail draped over her paws and her chin resting on the edge of her nest. She was purring, her eyes bright as she watched her littermates, much larger than Moonpaw and Graypaw, tumble.

Graypaw cleared her throat, as she came to Moonpaw's side, her sister's eyes wide as she watched the older apprentices play fight in a seemingly vicious way. Graypaw could tell, apart from the low hisses and taunts, they were just messing around. The lack of blood-scent in the air was a testimony to that.

Jaypaw froze, under Hazelpaw, and his eyes darted to hers, before a purr rumbled in his throat. Hazelpaw huffed and cuffed a paw over his head before jumping off neatly and padding over to her nest, which was right by Cinderpaw's, just to the left by a paw-step.

Jaypaw jumped up to his paws, and then shook the dust from his gray tabby pelt. "Hello, Graypaw, Moonpaw," he mewed warmly.

"You two can take the nests over there, closer to the gorse wall," Cinderpaw meowed. The downy gray she-cat got up to her paws, and then stretched out her back. She padded over to two nests, filled with fresh moss, about a tail-length from Hazelpaw's, Jaypaw's, and her nests.

Moonpaw nodded and went over to one. She sniffed the slightly damp moss then shrugged her shoulders, shooting Graypaw a questioning look before stepping in it and curling up, tail tucked over her nose.

Graypaw looked over at Hazelpaw, feeling eyes on her and noticed the larger she-cat was glaring, her eyes cold. She shivered slightly, her pelt ruffling slightly under the intense gaze, and she padded over to the nest beside Moonpaw.

Moonpaw had already fallen into sleep, so she let out a tiny sigh--upset that she couldn't share tongues with her or chat with her about all that had happened. She shifted uncomfortably, not used to the sheer size of the apprentice den or the lacking warmth of Frostclaw's side. She sucked in a breath and just snuggled closer to Moonpaw, ignoring the loud, blunt hoots of an owl nearby or the buzzing of bugs that invaded the night's silence.

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Graypaw woke up to a slight rustling sound and her ears pricked as her eyes adjusted to the pitch-black. She shifted in her nest, feeling Moonpaw pressed up against her side. Moonpaw just moved away, her body curling against the side of her nest.

Graypaw let out a soft sigh and just nuzzled against Moonpaw's side, dark, deep gray in the darkness, like how Graypaw's was in the daylight. Her eyes were just about to flutter closed, as her previous tiredness returned, when a twig snapped outside of the apprentice den. Her eyes snapped back open in surprise and she eyed the blackness around her, vaguely seeing Jaypaw's side rise and fall as he breathed loudly.

She let out a quiet huff, and tried to get comfortable again, but she couldn't. Something felt very off, very wrong.

Then she heard the high-pitched yowl break through the quiet. Her pelt bristled at the sound and she watched as Hazelpaw jumped to her paws and Jaypaw's head shot up, his eyes flashing an eerie color in the dark. Another yowl split the night air and the two that were already awake dashed out into the clearing followed by Cinderpaw, her longer, light fur now plain to see she slipped out into the moonlight. A different cat yowled and a brutal caterwaul was released by what she figured to be a large tom.

Moonpaw had woken up, now, and her eyes were wide with fear. "I'll go check it out," Graypaw whispered to her, "you stay here."

Before Moonpaw could open her mouth to respond to that, Graypaw followed Cinderpaw out into the starlit clearing.

The first thing she noticed was a reek--a strong, nasty smell. She couldn't identify it, but she smelled things she hadn't before; dark, musty smells.

The second thing she noticed was the high number of cats in the clearing, too many to be just ThunderClan. These extra cats looked different as well, their pelts darker and their forms slighter. How they moved was more fluid, not graceful exactly but calculating.

She watched in stunned horror, as cats fought each other viciously. She stopped right outside the entrance of the apprentice den, in the deeper shadows. Her eyes widened as a sleek gray tom slammed into Ashstorm, sending him bowling over. Ashstorm hissed from where he lay, as he tried to heave himself to his paws.

The tom snarled and bit into his hind leg, before Cloudpelt, a pretty, white ThunderClan she-cat, launched herself onto the gray tom's back. She hissed loudly, her claws digging into his fur.

On the other side of camp, near the medicine cat den, Bramblethorn, her mentor, was fighting a smaller, black-and-white she-cat with eyes that looked like chips of ice and the she-cat had the fiercest gaze Graypaw had ever seen.

The tiny she-cat swatted out with one paw, claws unsheathed, and slashed one of Bramblethorn's ears, causing the dark-colored tom to snarl and shove her down.

Another cat that pelted over from across the clearing, a dark brown tabby tom, slammed into Bramblethorn's side, causing her mentor to let out a pained yowl as the tom's claws sunk deep into his shoulder fur.

She hissed very softly; mad at the other cat for hurting Bramblethorn, too.

"Well, what do we have here," a sickly sweet voice asked, after several moments of her watching the intense fighting—too horror-struck to move, pathetically enough.

The broad shoulders of a large, pale brown tabby tom came into view as he stepped out of the shadows. The tom's eyes glistened as he watched her and she shrunk down, belly fur brushing the ground, under his gaze because something about it chilling her to the bone. He hissed in her face and drew back a heavy paw, about to slam it into her--she could tell--and she was too frozen in place to move.

"Adderfang!"

Her gaze moved to where the sharp mew had come from. She saw another tom, a mottled dark gray tom with blue eyes, with a scowl all over his features.

"It's just an apprentice, leave it alone," the imposing tom snapped.

Adderfang, obviously the tom that had tried to take a swipe at her, glared at the other tom.

"It's an enemy apprentice, it doesn't matter," the tabby tom hissed back, but he slunk away, tail dragging along the ground and leaving a trail in the moist dirt as he raced back into the chaotic fight taking place in the middle of ThunderClan's camp.

Graypaw's heart was pounding in her narrow chest as she watched the other tom, the mottled gray one; watch her closely for a moment, before padding away hurriedly, as a deep-voiced cat, a massive tom, called for retreat.

The other, strange-smelling cats all raced off, blundering through the thorn tunnel, out of their camp.

All of her Clanmates were still, watching the thorn tunnel with narrowed eyes, as if the other cats might come back. All of them were breathing heavily, their chests rising and falling rapidly, their eyes variations of bright with excitement to dull with tiredness, and some of the cats seemed to be bleeding heavily.

"Is everyone okay, Rainheart?" Sandstar asked her meow commanding and loud in the sudden quiet.

"Minor injuries, mostly," Rainheart meowed softly, but his gaze fell to Dustclaw, who was laying flat on his side, his mate Cloudpelt tending to him, licking his fur and telling him he was going to be fine once the medicine cat took care of him.

Graypaw's heart sank at the sight.

Dustclaw didn't just have a knick in his ear, a bite mark on his leg, or a scrape on his shoulder like most of the cats did, his stomach had been raked brutally from a cat's claws, and half of his side closest to his left shoulder.

_Great StarClan, please let him live...._ she thought, her form still shaking involuntarily out of pure fear.

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_A/N: Read and review, eh?_


	3. Chapter 2: ShadowClan

_A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it and review. Or send me a PM. Or favorite this Fanfic. Ya know, something? _

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything except $1,200 and a kitten named Lailah. And I'm not even sure about the last. That's what ya get when you're a minor. And I ESPECIALLY don't own the Warriors series. My name is not Kate Cary, or any of the other Warriors chicks' names. _

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**Chapter Two: ShadowClan**

"Graypaw!" Frostclaw exclaimed, rushing over to her. "Are you okay?"

Her mother fretted over her, sniffing her and checking her body for wounds with her sharp gaze.

"I'm fine." Graypaw blinked in surprise, at hearing her mew so hoarse and strained.  
"Oh, thank StarClan," Frostclaw meowed softly, licking her ears. "You just be more careful! You're hardly an apprentice, you shouldn't have tried to join in the fight."  
"I didn't try to; I just wanted to see what was going on." Graypaw shifted, leaning back towards the apprentice den, warily looking around.  
"Oh." Her mother watched her, deep set worry in her pale blue eyes anyway.  
"What happened?" Graypaw asked finally.  
"ShadowClan attacked." Her mother looked uncomfortable talking about this.  
"Why?" she asked, confused.  
"Nevermind, Graypaw, just go back into the apprentice den and comfort Moonpaw, I'm sure she's scared." Her mother's mew was firm, almost icy-cold.

She blinked in surprise then just jerkily nodded her head once.

"Okay," she meowed softly then looked over at Dustclaw.

An old, ragged-furred tom was tending to him, the other tom's face was slightly flat and his eyes were dull.

"Who's that?" She looked up at her mother, hoping she'd be answered for once.  
"That's the medicine cat, now go--no more questions until sunrise at least." Frostclaw gave her a stern look, and then padded off; over to where Cloudpelt was fussing over Dustclaw and making sure the elderly medicine cat was taking good care of him.

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"So, those ShadowClan flea-bags attacked?" Moonpaw asked Graypaw, eyes wide.  
"Yes, everyone but Dustclaw was just fine, though." Graypaw yawned, the former sudden confusion and excitement causing her eyes to droop in exhaustion.

It was still night and darkness was seeping over the whole camp as the cats meowed outside of the apprentice den, their mews muffled by the thick bramble walls.

"Did Dustclaw die?" Moonpaw looked horrified, eyes stretching impossibly wider.  
"No, he's just hurt badly. He probably just needs to rest." Jaypaw blinked at them tiredly, from where his sisters and he were curled up in their nests, all their bodies pressed and curled together, their fur colors blending together in the shadows. They'd come back in shortly after they'd left, as the battle hadn't lasted long. ShadowClan had underestimated them, Jaypaw had told her. Luckily, none of the three had been harmed.

"Oh, that's good." Moonpaw looked more content, now, her eyes dulling and her rapid breath stopping.  
"Yes, but it's still bad he had to get hurt." Jaypaw's mew was quiet, as he eyed his sleeping sisters. "Well, I'm going to sleep now, see you two in the morning, I suppose."

Jaypaw yawned widely, and then cuddled up against his sisters, his chin moving to rest on Cinderpaw's flank.

Shortly after that, Moonpaw also fell asleep, against the edge of her nest and not Graypaw. Graypaw let out a quiet sigh, feeling vaguely sad she hadn't curled up against her instead. Of course, it was fairly warm in the den, even if it wasn't as cramped as the nursery.  
Finally, with a quiet sigh, she just rested her muzzle on the bracken and moss making up her nest and dozed off. Her dreams were much calmer than normal, nothing like the chaotic nature of the fight she'd witnessed. She hunted alongside a cat she didn't know, an apprentice like herself. She didn't recognize the cat, or the scent on his fur, but she felt a vague sense of familiarity.

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She woke up slowly, then sneezed, feeling something wet on her nose. She looked up and saw a leak in the brambles above, causing dew to drip down onto her. She scowled up at the hole then shook off her damp pelt. She got to her paws, stretched out her hind legs, and then padded out into camp.

The sky was a dreary, cloud-covered gray and darker clouds loomed on the horizon, bringing drenching rain with them she assumed. She padded around the muddy pools that spotted camp, left over from the last, soaking rain shower. She hardly remembered it, being safe and warm in the nursery. But, she did remember seeing how soaked to the bone Russetdawn's mate had been when he'd shouldered into the nursery, to check on his kits, Tawnykit and Redkit.

She glanced over at the tiny hole that led into the nursery, made safe by thick, thorny brambles and woven in bracken fronds. Tawnykit and Redkit had only been tiny scraps of fur, then, but by now they must be about four moons old, maybe five moons old. She purred softly, thinking of being able to teach the pair battle moves, maybe, before they even became apprentices.

She froze at a vague rustle, scared as a mouse after last night, but just saw Ashstorm come out of the dirt place. He padded over to the shadows of Highledge, then, and laid down, watching her with interest once he realized she was staring.

Her ears went hot with embarrassment and she padded over hurriedly to the medicine cat den. She was still worried about Dustclaw, after seeing him so hurt, so she decided quickly it was just best to visit him and put her mind at ease.

She was about to pad in then stopped, wondering if she should ask whether or not as an apprentice she could go in. Finally, she just squared her shoulders and padded in forcefully.

As she slinked in through the hanging lichen, she saw the ragged-looking medicine cat bent over a small heap of leaves, slowly chewing them into a pulp. She watched him with her head cocked to the side in interest. Finally, the tom's amber gaze met hers and a rumbling purr started deep in his chest.  
"Hello, Graypaw. Is there anything I can do for you?" He watched her curiously, his eyes burning like fire.  
She gulped, suddenly intimidated, and she looked down.  
"I was just going to ask how Dustclaw was." She looked up finally, her claws itching as she felt like she should run, far away, for some reason.  
"I see. Well, he's doing fine now--all it took was a few cobwebs, a poppy seed or two, and a nice goldenrod poultice. I'm making another one now." The medicine cat looked vaguely proud of himself, his chest fur puffing out a bit.  
"That's good." She nodded, mostly thinking to herself about how horrible Dustclaw had looked before.

Now, with him sleeping soundly in a mossy nest nearby, everything seemed fine. The only difference was the whitish cobwebs wrapped securely around his middle and his shoulder.

"Yes, it is." The medicine cat looked at her again, a sudden flash of confusion going across his face.  
"If you don't mind me asking--what's your name?" she asked finally, shuffling her paws as she broke up the silence that had fallen uncomfortably in the medicine cat den--him staring at her like he was suddenly perplexed didn't help anything, either.

"I'm Rocknose," the shaggy-furred tom responded, blinking at her once.  
"That's an interesting name for a medicine cat," Graypaw joked tensely, feeling uncomfortable still.

His foggy, unfocused gaze was still over her, making her pelt feel hot.

Finally, he snapped out of his daze and let out an amused purr. "I suppose so." He shrugged his shoulders, the muscle rolling under his dusty gray pelt.  
She wondered what a medicine cat had done to look like a warrior, then remembered a conversation she had with Cinderpaw and Jaypaw when she was only five moons old, not quite apprentice aged yet.

* * *

"I noticed something, Graykit. It's very strange, but it seems like everyone waits until last minute to get help from the medicine cat." Moonkit (now Moonpaw) had meowed, sounding curious.

Moonkit had shuffled her paws meekly, seemingly intimidated by broad-shouldered and much larger Jaypaw who sat nearby, washing his face.  
"Because, he used to be a warrior. It makes them think he can't tend wounds." Cinderpaw had looked over towards where the medicine cat lay, eating a sparrow right outside his den.  
"But, Lionleap almost had an infected wound in his paw because he'd gotten a thorn lodged in his pad and just pulled it out." Moonkit had looked confused, tail flicking behind her.  
"Well, that sounds like Lionleap," Jaypaw had muttered, gaze on the ground.

Then, he had looked up, almost making eye contact with Graykit. "I don't see why everyone is so worried. StarClan called on him to be medicine cat even though he was about to be deputy."  
Cinderpaw had let out a startled gasp, obviously having not known the information. "Really?"

* * *

She let out a soft, amused purr as she padded out into the clearing. She had just left the medicine cat den after seeing Dustclaw looking much better, still deep in thought.

"Hey, Graypaw!"  
She looked over, stopping in her tracks, and she saw the gray, flecked coat of Mosstail by the fresh kill pile. She padded over to him, curious.  
She met his green eyes and his whiskers twitched.  
"I was going to take Moonpaw out to see the territory; do you think Bramblethorn would let you come as well?" Mosstail asked her and she shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing whether or not he would.  
"Just ask him when he gets back from the dawn patrol," Mosstail suggested, looking away from her and turning his attention back to the blackbird in his paws. She took that as the cue he was done talking right now and she just padded over to Moonpaw as she came out of the den lithely, her long legs carrying her forward easily. She figured they could chat together or share a piece of prey.

* * *

"So, which border do you wish to take them to, first?" Bramblethorn's mew was deep and gruff, as always, and Mosstail's eyes widened a little.

Graypaw actually jumped a little, surprised at her mentor coming out of nowhere, seemingly. Moonpaw seemed perfectly calm, though, not a piece of fur out of place. She nodded to two pines growing close, ivy splayed out before them, and Graypaw noticed the gap between where the trunks had grown together. She guessed Moonpaw was informing her of where Bramblethorn had sprung up from.

"Well, I was thinking we'd show them the abandoned twoleg nest, and then take them to the clearing after." Mosstail fidgeted, clearing intimidated by the much larger tom, even though his green eyes burned with determination not to back down.

Graypaw already liked him a tiny bit for that, even if for some reason she always felt like a mouse-brain around the youthful warrior. Mosstail may be the youngest warrior, but obviously Sandstar had given him an apprentice for a reason she supposed.

"Good, and I suppose we'll check out the ShadowClan border while we're there, go down to the lake, let them see the ancient oak, then take them to the WindClan border?" Bramblethorn watched Mosstail with vague interest, now.  
Mosstail swallowed hard. "Yes, I suppose that would be good--as long as they don't get too tired."  
"Yes, and as long as they can keep up." Bramblethorn started padding off, then, and Mosstail let out a low growl, and then followed.

Graypaw ran after them, her shorter, stumpy legs in no way matching their long, powerful strides.  
Moonpaw followed quickly, as well, slowing as she reached her side.

Mosstail looked back over his shoulder at them, once or twice, and then finally just figured they'd keep up, Graypaw supposed.

* * *

Graypaw watched as Moonpaw jumped high, to catch a falling dead leaf. Her sister snagged it with one paw and brought it down to the ground, still batting at it after it was completely still.  
She let out an amused purr and Moonpaw just shot her a look.

"Warriors don't play with leaves!" Graypaw admonished.  
"Well, I'm only an apprentice." Moonpaw let out a dignified huff and licked down her ruffled chest fur, the shadows of the thick tree branches above dappling her coat.  
"It's good practice, Graypaw. Snatching a leaf from the air is like catching a bird, almost." Mosstail reminded her gently.  
"I guess," Graypaw admitted, and then licked her slightly muddy paw.

Moonpaw sat taller, looking proud.  
Graypaw rolled her eyes, and then just padded closer to her mentor, Bramblethorn.

"Let her have fun while she can. And you're right; warriors don't tend to chase butterflies or pounce on leaves." Bramblethorn just kneaded his claws on the earth, clearly anxious to get moving again.

"We're almost at the ShadowClan border, so be careful, both of you," Mosstail informed Graypaw and her sister, eyeing them both.  
"Why do we have to be careful?" Moonpaw questioned with her eyes wide as she looked up at her mentor.  
"Because, ShadowClan cats don't like nosy apprentices," Bramblethorn meowed dryly in response.

Moonpaw ducked her head, looking embarrassed.

"Just stay on our side of the border, okay?" Mosstail looked at them both again, eyes intense as his tail swished behind him.  
Graypaw nodded stiffly, slightly annoyed that Mosstail seemed to think that they didn't know better than to, say, chase a squirrel over the border or attack a full grown warrior.

"Well, okay, let's just go now," Bramblethorn grumbled, his claws sheathing and unsheathing, tearing up the mossy ground. "I want them to catch a good whiff of the ShadowClan scent and then head back to a friendlier piece of our territory. You know they just attacked. We shouldn't be antagonizing them at all."  
Moonpaw's ears flicked back in response. "So the cats that raided our camp were from ShadowClan?"  
"Yes, they were." Bramblethorn got to his paws tensely.  
Moonpaw's eyes widened and she just seemed scared now. Graypaw pressed against her lightly, so their pelts brushed--silvery-gray tabby against dark gray--and she licked her smaller sister's forehead. "Don't worry. I won't let any ShadowClan cat get you. I'd shred him before then."  
Bramblethorn's whiskers twitched and he looked at Graypaw, his eyes gleaming slightly.

"Come along, then, we need to get back before sundown." Mosstail flicked his tail and then he started padding off, his grayish coat stark against the browns and greens of the forest in this light.

Moonpaw quickly leaped up to her paws and followed him, her legs moving quickly to keep up with his slower, but much longer, stride.  
Bramblethorn kept up at a smoother, less quick pace and brought up the back. He kept nudging Graypaw forward every so often, which made her vaguely irritated. She could keep up!

* * *

Pretty soon, they were at the ShadowClan border. Moonpaw was sniffing the air curiously, her head tilted up, and Graypaw just sulked nearby, still peeved about Bramblethorn's impatient nudging.

"ShadowClan smells gross," Moonpaw announced. She then sat down nearby, looking at the seemingly impenetrable pine trees that made up the looming, dark forest ahead.

Graypaw finally sniffed the damp air herself. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as a musty, stale scent hit her nose, different from the scent of the pine trees or the scent of the dead leaves, peaty earth, and stagnant water. All of the smells combined into something very nasty, something that smelled like the cats that attacked her camp and hurt Dustclaw, Cloudpelt's mate. The fur along her back bristled, spiking up, and she felt her claws dig into the soft, black dirt. She didn't like ShadowClan much, she decided.

Bramblethorn laid his tabby-striped tail on her shoulder. "Don't get too upset, battles happen. We're lucky no cat died."  
That comment just made her fur bristle along the back of her neck more.  
"Calm down," Bramblethorn hissed at her, eyes narrowing. His muscles went taut, then, under his thick pelt, as a few cats slipped from the thick woods.

Mosstail went still, where he'd been telling Moonpaw about how ShadowClan cats mostly ate frogs, lizards, and snakes. Moonpaw froze, her expression of disgust changing into one of slight fear.

"What are you doing here?" the lead cat, a dark mottled gray tom, asked harshly.

Graypaw blinked; almost convinced she'd seen this tom before. He looked so familiar. Bramblethorn growled lowly beside her, but let Mosstail speak.

"We're just showing our two new apprentices our territory." Mosstail stood, his gaze unwavering and his standing firm.

The tom glowered at them, through narrowed blue eyes.

"I see. Make sure you stay on your side of the border." he hissed.

A black-and-white she-cat beside him nodded her gaze equally intense.

"But they are on their side of the border!"  
Graypaw blinked and her gaze found a small she-cat, about her age, sitting beside a black-spotted tom. The tom hissed something into her ear and the lead cat ignored the pale ginger she-cat.

"They are, Dawnpaw, but that doesn't mean they weren't thinking of crossing," a dark brown she-cat murmured to the amber-eyed apprentice. Dawnpaw nodded briefly, her eyes locked on Graypaw and Moonpaw.

Graypaw met her gaze, as Moonpaw looked away, seemingly uncomfortable with the attention.

Graypaw looked back over at the group and her eyes darted around, trying to recognize a cat. The only cat she knew by name, except for Dawnpaw, was the dark brown she-cat. She had noticed the she-cat's horrible scars right away--marking her as Briarscar, a cat that had survived being attacked by two dogs while out hunting.  
Her body was ravaged, but her face was mostly unmarred. She was a beautiful she-cat, apart from the scarring. The elders had told stories about the fight, even if the cats involved hadn't been only ThunderClan. She wondered why ThunderClan and ShadowClan didn't help each other now.

"We'll be leaving now, Cloudstorm." Mosstail nodded to the mottled gray tom, and then blinked at Moonpaw and Graypaw.  
Graypaw took the hint and quickly padded over to Bramblethorn, who was sitting farther into their territory, glaring at the patrol. She hadn't heard all of what they'd been talking about, sadly enough.

_I should have paid more attention_, she thought.

"Good," the black-and-white she-cat hissed, her ice-blue eyes flashing.  
Graypaw shivered. She didn't want to meet that she-cat in battle. She looked harmless, small as an older apprentice, but something about her terrified her. Then, she remembered. That tiny she-cat had attacked Bramblethorn at the battle with ShadowClan. She hissed lowly at the icy-eyed she-cat, then padded over to Bramblethorn.

"Moonpaw, let's go," Mosstail hissed to her Graypaw's sister, who was stuck staring at another apprentice; a larger, darker ginger cat, a tom.  
Moonpaw blinked, snapping out of her trance, and then followed Mosstail.

Soon, they all padded away, the ShadowClan patrol glaring at them as they left. Graypaw felt her claws itch, wanting to scratch one of the cats for bothering them. They had stayed on their territory, but Mosstail and Brambletalon had been nothing but tentative (well, Bramblethorn had at least glared).

They'd made ThunderClan seem weak. It didn't help they were one of the smallest Clans in the forest, with kittypet roots in many of their cats. They needed to show they were still strong, powerful.

_At least we won the battle with ShadowClan_, she thought.

* * *

_A/N: Review please? And, yeah, I beg. Like a dog. Review? It's my version of a milk-bone! *chuckles*_


	4. Chapter 3: Dawning

_A/N: I would just like to thank all of my awesome reviewers! I'm glad you all continue to read my work and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Anyway, on with the show!_

**

* * *

Chapter Three: Dawning**

Graypaw blinked her eyes tiredly, the haze clouding her vision slowly dissipating. She yawned, jaws stretching wide, and she stretched out in her nest. She curled back up and tried to get comfortable, but the stifling heat was too much.

It had been a moon since Moonpaw and she had been apprenticed and now the apprentice den was more crowded than ever.  
Cinderpaw, Jaypaw, and Hazelpaw would soon be warriors and they were now huge, almost fully grown. Their pelts were sleek and shiny and their bodies were long and muscular.  
Sometime in this quarter-moon she figured they would receive their warrior names. _All three deserved it._

Moonpaw and she had gotten bigger, as well. Moonpaw's pelt, still a washed-out moonlit gray, was now longer, fuller, and almost fluffy, and every time Graypaw slept in her nest now she woke up too hot. Being pressed against Moonpaw's furry side in late greenleaf was not very fun. It was bad enough that the weather was heating up, the sun beating down on camp and no rain falling, but the den was much too crowded.

_Maybe I could ask Sandstar if they could expand our den._  
She pondered that for a while, still dozing as the sun rose, flooding the den with pale light, flecks of dust floating around the top of the bramble den, the breeze blowing them around in a kind of dance.

Shortly after the sunlight started to filter in and as she was beginning to be truly awake, Bramblethorn stuck his head and broad shoulders into the apprentice den, barely fitting through the thorny gap.  
"Graypaw, Cinderpaw? You two are coming on the dawn patrol, come on, on your paws." Bramblethorn looked impatient and she let out a quiet sigh.  
She got up to her paws, still in a sleepy daze, and she shook the clinging bits of dry, crinkly bracken out of her pelt.

Cinderpaw yawned widely, over in her nest, her white fangs flashing and she moved out of the tangle of bodies that belonged to her and her littermates. The she-cat shook out her long fur, and then sneezed when a bit of dew dripped onto her nose.

Graypaw could only imagine how hot they got, but of course, they weren't in the sunshine being much deeper into the den where the shadows of the branches above crisscrossed the ground like black spider webs.

_Maybe I could just move my nest to a more open spot…._

"So, we got stuck on the dawn patrol, again." Cinderpaw's tail lashed in vague annoyance. They'd been picked for the dawn patrol three sunrises in a row and they were exhausted.  
Plus, Bramblethorn had been working her hard, very hard. Her muscles ached as she stretched them out once more, as she and Cinderpaw slipped out of the den.

Graypaw paced outside, waiting on the group of warriors to stop speaking with Sandstar over in the shadows of Highledge.

She spotted the deputy, Rainheart, Bramblethorn, a golden tom named Lionleap, who was Cinderpaw's mentor, and a smaller tom.  
She hadn't seen him around, even though she knew he was a new warrior. He was a dark brown tabby with amber eyes and one white paw.

"That's Crowheart," Cinderpaw whispered into her ear. "He's the youngest warrior, about Mosstail's age but maybe a moon or so younger."

Graypaw nodded simply, not asking for more information, but she was intrigued. Mostly by how Russetdawn eyed him suspiciously, as Redkit and Tawnykit played outside of the nursery, too big to play inside anymore. The two kits tumbled and batted at each other's ears, their movements smoother than the haphazard way they'd play fought before. Soon they would be apprentices, too.

She turned away from the wrestling kits and continued to watch the group, trying to figure out what they were talking about, when a certain cat's piercing gaze fell on her. She froze, stunned by the intensity-almost as much as the black-and-white ShadowClan she-cat-and she hurriedly looked away, back at Redkit and Tawnykit.

I don't know why, but something about him seems off. Not trustworthy.

_Maybe Russetdawn feels the same?_

Graypaw padded along next to Bramblethorn, who seemed to be mostly bored as Lionleap, Cinderpaw, Rainheart, and Crowheart marked the border.

Graypaw herself yawned, still tired and mostly bored as well. They were told to keep an eye out for any WindClan patrols, just so there wasn't a conflict. She thought that was rather odd. _Why was everyone so worried about ShadowClan and WindClan?_ ThunderClan was a small Clan at the moment, but WindClan hadn't been aggressive towards them in moons.

She sniffed the air as the wind coursed across the moorland and ruffled her pelt. She could smell the scent of WindClan, which was not as prominent as ShadowClan, more of an airy, wild scent, much like the heather that grew in clumps, dotting the moor a dingy brown in some places, the heather dried out from the heat.

She batted impatiently at a gorse sprout, her claws slicing the yellow flower as she waited on the others. They seemed to be taking longer than normal.

They were all so paranoid! Rainheart seemed to think they were due for a fight and Mosstail agreed. She agreed with Bramblethorn, though, in the fact every cat was acting like a frightened mouse.

ThunderClan had plenty of brave warriors, why did they need to fear the other Clans? It was greenleaf and prey was running well for all the Clans-RiverClan's streams were full of silver-flashing fish, WindClan's moor was plentiful in rabbits, and ShadowClan even seemed well-fed for once, which was amazing since they ate frogs, lizards, and snakes mostly. She was still disturbed about that.

She was ripped from her thoughts when she heard Cinderpaw let out a startled hiss.

She looked over and saw the fluffy gray apprentice's fur stand on end slowly, back arching. Lionleap beside her was glowering ahead, his shoulders stiff.

Bramblethorn, who sat beside her, rolled his eyes pointedly, as a small patrol of WindClan cats came towards the border.

She watched them curiously, having still not been to a gathering she wasn't exactly sure what they looked like, except from hearing cats talk about them.

They were all lean and leggy, as well as oddly thin, even though their pelts were shiny as if they ate enough. Compared to their bodies, their heads also seemed small. Her whiskers twitched in amusement at the thought.

The lead cat, a pale brown tom, stopped on the WindClan side of the border, after the group of cats had come across the Moonpool stream, jumping from slippery stone to slippery stone.

One cat, a dark brown tabby with amber eyes, wrinkled his nose.

"Great, now the border smells like ThunderClan. Great StarClan, do they have to make it stink so horribly nowadays?" he asked in a murmur to a dark gray she-cat beside him.

She shrugged her narrow shoulders, obviously not very caring about it.

Graypaw blinked at the tom, wondering where he got that courage from, to be able to whisper complaints rather loudly about cats standing a few fox-lengths ahead of him.

"That's Tornheart," Bramblethorn murmured into Graypaw's ear, a few moments later.

He did so as the cats on the border bristled and unsheathed and re-sheathed their claws. The ThunderClan cats much more agitated than the WindClan cats, which were slowly starting to look annoyed.

"Who?" Graypaw's brow creased in response. _Had he noticed me staring at him?_ she wondered in vague discomfort.

"That big tom there, the one with more muscle than the others," Bramblethorn responded, nodding slightly to a brown tabby tom, who seemed more than willing to jump across the border and claw the ThunderClan cats' ears off.

"Why are you pointing him out?" Graypaw was confused on that point.

Why not point out the dark gray she-cat, or the tabby and white tom that reminded her of someone?

"He's half ThunderClan," Bramblethorn responded.

She blinked in surprise. So that was how he got those broad shoulders, his large, muscular neck, and slightly flattened face.

"How?" she asked then, as shock set in. How could someone be half-Clan? It was against the Warrior Code to take a mate from another Clan!

"His mother was a WindClan she-cat and his father was a ThunderClan tom. The she-cat only had one surviving kit-him-and he's taken the brunt of the attacks. He's a very loyal WindClan cat." Bramblethorn informed her, a certain amount of pride in his mew. "Yet, despite his size he likes to make peace with words rather than flat out war with claws and teeth. I imagine he will become WindClan's leader one day."

Graypaw nodded, but she was confused. How could a half-Clan cat become a leader?

Wasn't their very existence against the Warrior Code?

"Seriously, what is wrong with you? We've done nothing! Great StarClan, just stop hissing already!"

She blinked in surprise and her head whipped to the cat who had yowled. She saw the tabby and white tom looking furiously at Rainheart. He was a younger warrior, but his whole body was tense, his expression fierce.

"Owlstrike!" the dark gray she-cat hissed, nudging him. But the tom didn't move.

"All you do is continue to provoke us. We do nothing to you, you mangy squirrel-chasers, and you keep marking the border stronger and stronger, closer and closer to the edge of our territory. Are you asking for a fight?" The tom named Owlstrike's mew was deadly calm, something about it unsettling her more than the fact she recognized him from somewhere.

"Let's just go," a sandy-colored WindClan cat mewed.

Their patrol leader nodded in agreement, and then with one last glare at Rainheart, he snorted and led the patrol away, back across the shallow stream.

_Now we're making enemies... _she thought. _We seem weak and we're making enemies. _

She knew this could be a very bad combination. Even she knew that.

Graypaw lounged in the center of camp, swathed in moonlight. She was quickly devouring a mouse, as the moon hung high above, almost directly above camp. Wind whooshed through camp, shaking the bramble bushes and causing the hanging lichen in front of the leader's den and the medicine cat's den sway. Crickets chirp as she finishes her meal. After she finished she licked off her muzzle, then sat up and swiped a paw over her whiskers. She sat back farther to groom her fur, wanting to look decent. It was hard to look decent when your sister was turning into a fine, delicate-looking she-cat and you still had unruly kit fur and an equally rugged, tough look.

Graypaw sighed softly. She wasn't vain. She tried not to be, at least.

She finally just shook out her pelt, ruffling it further, and she just looked around the clearing. Jaypaw and Hazelpaw were talking across camp, sharing a blackbird. Dustclaw, now mostly healed but still with a slight limp, was purring loud enough for her to hear, in a nearby patch of moonlight with his mate, Cloudpelt. Sunclaw was sharing tongues with his littermate, Sandstar, near Highledge, and Lionleap was teaching Redkit and Tawnykit the hunter's crouch near the nursery, while Russetdawn watched in amusement as her mate's kin entertained her kits.

She saw Frostclaw mewing softly to Bramblethorn and her ears pricked, wondering what her mentor and her mother could be talking about. _Me?_

A short time later Sandstar leaped up onto Highledge with a well-planned jump. She shook out her slightly wind-buffeted ginger fur and she gazed down at her camp, her amber eyes flashing in the half-light.

"Rainheart, Sunclaw, Snowfall, Ashstorm, you will be coming to the Gathering." Sandstar meowed loudly. She then paused to take a breath.

Graypaw's ears went forward, to hear who else would be coming, the conversation between Bramblethorn and her mother forgotten.

"Dustclaw, Lionleap, Cinderpaw, Jaypaw, and Graypaw, Hazelpaw, you will be coming as well." Sandstar looked around at the cats. Her whiskers twitched once, and then she jumped down, landing neatly on her paws.

Graypaw jumped when she heard Crowheart growl beside her. She hadn't even realized he'd been there.

"Sandstar never lets me come to Gatherings," the tom muttered, eyes dark as he just glared at the ground.

She wasn't even sure if he knew she was there.

The dark tabby tom then slunk off, only muttering that he was going hunting to Frostclaw, her mother who was now sitting beside Russetdawn, both of them nearest to the thorn tunnel. Frostclaw nodded her eyes bright with confusion.

"Wait!" Rainheart exclaimed then. "Bramblethorn, Mosstail, Frostclaw, Moonpaw, and Crowheart you will be staying to guard camp. Bramblethorn you're in charge of camp."

Bramblethorn nodded curtly, and then just blinked at her. He padded over the few fox-lengths that separated him from Graypaw.

He nuzzled the top of her head, a friendly and slightly-too-rough gesture. "You stay safe, okay? I won't be there to make sure you don't fall off the log that leads to the island. But, I know Snowfall will keep an eye on you."

Graypaw nodded, her fur bristling in excitement. This would be her first Gathering!

Then, she blinked in realization. Moonpaw wouldn't be coming.

Her sister, Moonpaw, was sitting beside Mosstail, her shoulders slightly slumped.

Graypaw got to her paws and she padded over to her, leaving Bramblethorn with a quick goodbye and a promise that she'd be careful.

"Hey, don't be upset," she mewed to her sister and she cuffed her playfully. "I'm sure you'll get to go next time!"

"Yeah, I guess." Moonpaw shrugged, still looking downcast.

Graypaw frowned slightly. "I'll miss you. I'll be back soon, though."

"Graypaw! Come on, Sandstar is ready to go!"

She looked over and saw her mother's sister, a startling white she-cat, that was unusually big-compared to their leaner, smaller mother.

She placed her tail-tip on Moonpaw's side for a moment. "Bye."

She then scrambled after the others, racing to keep up with even Hazelpaw (who hadn't grown too much bigger, she still looked like she was only six moons old even if her pelt was sleeker).

They padded along the edge of the lake, WindClan territory to their left. Sandstar kept them at a brisk pace, her lean body moving quickly.

Graypaw tried to follow as fast as possible, but she tended to lag behind because of the fact she was the smallest cat here.

Snowfall, as promised, stayed at her side, for the most part. Her mother's sister joked with her and seemed very carefree, happy.

Maybe Snowfall's companionship was a bit better than Bramblethorn's in that aspect.

Graypaw was just watching the rolling hills of the moor, as they neared the island, when she saw a group of cats, all clearly WindClan, coming around a bend up ahead. She could see a larger, dark-colored tom at the lead, which she supposed was Breezestar. A tiny, tabby tom was at his side, maybe his apprentice, and a pale brown tom was to his right.

The latter tom swiveled his head towards them and piercing amber eyes flashed with something she could only name as anger. She shivered, fur bristling in surprise.

Several more cats followed them, all mostly shades of browns and grays, from almost kit size to Tornheart, who was clearly the largest and most muscular cat in WindClan and as they drew nearer she could easily see the half-Clan tom.

As Sandstar led them to the WindClan cats, most of the ThunderClan cats tensed, muscles rippling under their pelts in unease as they shifted, clearly unable to stay still.

Breezestar's piercing eyes narrowed in on Sandstar. "Since we got here first, we get to crossover first, obviously." the dark gray tom growled.

Graypaw blinked as he casually informed Sandstar that since WindClan had gotten to the crossing place earliest they would be going over the fallen tree that led to the island, before ThunderClan.

Sunclaw growled beside her, his ginger, tabby-striped tail lashing behind him.

"Fine, but be quick about it," Sandstar hissed finally, her fur bristling along her neck.

Breezestar nodded curtly. He quickly padded over to the roots of the once mighty tree that had fallen.

The tree had been struck by lightning as a sign from StarClan according to the elders and it had crushed an evil tom named Darkstripe. She shivered, thinking of what else StarClan might've done to bad cats in the past. She bet most of them didn't hunt in StarClan, but rather in the Place of No Stars, the Dark Forest.

She felt her pelt prick in unease at the thought, so she looked at the isle instead, wondering what it looked like now that clouds didn't cover the full moon and she could see clearly. The ancient tree went over a shallower part of the lake, leading to a dark-looking, pine-dotted island, she noted.

It was slightly darker, forlorn than the elders' tales had led her to believe. She frowned in distaste, not even scenting prey, just the horrid scent of the lower-than-normal lake, like dead fish and something else she couldn't name. Maybe everything just seemed worse because the wind crackled with the static of a coming storm and the breeze whipped against the cats, ruffling their pelts as they went hurriedly across the log.

She blinked in shock as the fallen tree bounced under Breezestar as he crossed, his dark gray form barely a silhouette. _The tree _moved_?_

She trembled slightly in fear, scared now. The water boiled in the lake below, thrashing against the pebble strewn bank, tossing up a cold spray. She swallowed hard.

"Great StarClan, don't let any cat fall..." she whispered, eyes wide as the full moon above as she glanced up briefly at the icy, pricks of light that belonged to Silverpelt.

Soon, Sandstar leapt up onto the tree herself and she began padding quickly across the bare tree, silvery in the moonlight and casting shadows onto the dark water.

After Sandstar, Rainheart, Cloudpelt, Dustclaw, and Jaypaw hurriedly followed, in that order. Snowfall nudged Graypaw forward and she blinked at her, wide-eyed and shaky-legged.

"Go on," Snowfall whispered quietly, "they're waiting on us."

Graypaw gulped and she tentatively placed a paw on the dry, cracking roots and pulled herself up onto the smooth surface of the tree. All the bark was long gone and now the tree was slimy with moisture from the lashing water below.

She shivered a little and unsheathed her claws, before sinking them hurriedly into the oddly soft wood.

She was terrified of falling into the water. Since she didn't know how to swim-after all, she wasn't a RiverClan cat.

Luckily, she got to the other side safely, without incident. Snowfall jumped down beside her and quickly nudged her again.

Okay, so maybe she was a little like Bramblethorn. No warrior seemed to get she could move on her own.

She let her claws unsheath again, but Snowfall didn't notice. She just padded over to Rainheart and the pair started chatting quietly.

Graypaw sighed loudly, her shoulders slumping a little, and then, as the older, larger cats starting coming in behind her she finally did move, her paws moving across the rusty-colored, slick pine straw easily.

Soon, she was more or less near the front, she could see the leaders: the light ginger pelt of Sandstar, her gentle amber eyes gleaming; the now familiar dark gray coat and green eyes that could only belong to the wiry leader of WindClan, Breezestar; a dappled golden pelt, shining in the moonlight, of a lithe she-cat, who I figured was Copperstar, who sat in the lowest branch.

Then, in the shadows, I saw the bulky, muscular form of Thornstar, a brown tabby tom with intense, glittering blue eyes. I shivered, as I felt his cold gaze fall on me, something in his eyes.

Why was he looking at me?

I'd ducked my head, trying to become invisible, and when I looked back he was just chatting quietly with Copperstar.

How strange.

"Hey," a cat mewed beside me.

I jumped out of shock, surprised at hearing a cat talk to me after musing about the ShadowClan leader.

I glanced over and I saw a dark ginger she-cat, white patches all over her glossy fur.

I blinked at her, confused. Why was she even talking to me?

I wrinkled my nose as, finally, a fishy-smelling stench hit me. It smelled just like the fish that sometimes washed up onto shore, dead. Well, maybe not quite as strong.

So, she was a RiverClan cat.

"I'm Petalpaw, who are you?" the small she-cat asked her, tilting her head to the side, her green eyes curious.

"I'm Graypaw," Graypaw responded flatly.

"Oh, so you're ThunderClan?"

"Yes," she meowed quickly, rolling her shoulders. For whatever reason, she felt short-tempered and she didn't want this nosy she-cat all in her business.

"That's cool. I've only seen ThunderClan cats before once. Do you all really eat mice?" Petalpaw looked interested, her gaze still resting hotly on her fur.

"Um, yes." Graypaw's eyes narrowed. What was with all these questions.

"That's weird. Mice taste gross." Petalpaw sniffed.

Yeah, well to me fish tastes gross. Graypaw thought sarcastically. Her eyes slitted, annoyed with the feather-brained apprentice.

"Oh, Petalpaw, leave that apprentice alone," a weary, deep voice ordered.

Petalpaw's ears flicked and she glared at the pale ginger tom that had come up to her side. "You're not the boss of me, Rushpaw."

"Yes, but I can tell you're bugging her. Just go and hang out with Heatherpaw or somebody."

Petalpaw rolled her eyes, at who Graypaw guessed was her brother, and then she padded off.

"Sorry about that," the larger, paler apprentice mewed.

She just snorted.

"I really am. I know she can be a pain." Rushpaw mewed honestly.

"Please just leave me alone." Graypaw hissed quietly, making the ginger tom blink rapidly.

Rushpaw let out a short sigh, and then just watched the leaders, even though they hadn't started speaking yet.

"Don't blame her. She's got the meanest mentor in ThunderClan."

Graypaw's claws flexed, as she heard another, deep meow. Another tom. Great.

"Talonstrike?" Rushpaw asked the new tom, who she'd yet to glance at.

His mew was familiar, though.

"No, no, Bramblethorn. Talonstrike's just crazy and he's a ShadowClan cat, Bramblethorn is mean as a badger."

"Bramblethorn is very nice!" Graypaw hissed, finally, glancing back.

She gulped when she realized how big the tom was and then she leaned back a little when she realized it was Owlstrike, the splotchy tabby-and-white tom she'd seen on the WindClan border.

The one she felt like she'd seen before.

"See? She's as mad as a badger, too." Owlstrike quipped to Rushpaw.

Her eyes narrowed further, and she just huffed, turning back to face the leaders.

Graypaw's ears pricked forward as Thornstar started speaking.

"Prey is running well in ShadowClan and our Clan is stronger than ever. Moonheart gave birth to a healthy kit named Stonekit." Thornstar's blue eyes blazed proudly, as he eyed the cats below him. Graypaw almost let out an amused purr, as she caught him giving a certain dark-colored tabby tom a warm glance. "We regret to inform you, though, that one of our apprentices has passed on and joined the ranks of StarClan," Thornstar continued finally, face clearly displaying sadness, "Foxpaw will be greatly missed."

I was pretty sure I heard a she-cat let out a pained yowl, on top of the shuffling of paws. I winced and ducked my head. What a poor cat. That must've been her son.

"That is all," he finished curtly.

Graypaw figured he wasn't one to talk much, since as soon as he stopped he backed up, shoulders slouched, trying to avoid getting the attention he had before.

Then, Breezestar stepped forward. "Prey is running well in our territory, suffice for all of our large Clan," he meowed, his chest puffed forward out of pride. "I have no more to report, other than the fact that WindClan is thriving."

Breezestar shot Sandstar a pointed look, frowning slightly with his eyes dull, like he didn't understand. Sandstar just glowered at him in response.

Graypaw blinked at the exchange. _What was that about?_ she wondered.

Copperstar then quickly shifted forward, so she could look down at her cats, who had managed to all be near the front. Graypaw figured RiverClan had gotten here first.

"RiverClan is doing well. Our streams are abundant in fish. We haven't had too much trouble from two-legs, but they are in greater in number this year than before," Copperstar announced, as her gaze locked on the cars below. "But, we are having no problems in defending our territory," she added, as an afterthought. "We had a fox on our territory, but we managed to run it off." Copperstar glanced down at a cat that I'd heard an apprentice call Hailsplash, who had a fresh cut on his nose.

"The patrol noticed its den was on WindClan's territory, so I'd be watchful, Breezestar," she meowed, glancing over at the WindClan leader.

"My Clan will be," Breezestar replied coldly, green eyes narrowed as if she'd planned it.

"Good," Copperstar mewed, and then she licked her shoulder fur, smoothing down her gold coat.

Copperstar then got to her paws and stepped back, letting Sandstar pad out onto the main branch, thick and covered in rough, grayish bark.

"Prey is running well in ThunderClan. Greenleaf has been kind to us and we still have plenty to drink, even though the lake has become shallower in the past moon. We have two new apprentices, Graypaw and Moonpaw," Sandstar meowed, loudly enough the sound rebounded off the thick pines that circled the clearing.

Graypaw blinked in surprise, and then sat taller, eyes gleaming. She wished Moonpaw had been able to come! Then they both could have been welcomed into the Clans.

A few RiverClan cats meowed her name, some almost muttering, but she beamed about the semi-warm welcome anyway.

Certain WindClan cats, like Owlstrike and a small gray she-cat that had been sitting with the other medicine cats, including Rocknose, yowled her name happily, making her ears go hot in embarrassment.

Why did they care so much?

Tornheart, though, just stared stonily ahead, where he sat a few tail-lengths away, ignoring her and everyone else.

Like Tornheart, the whole of ShadowClan was silent. A few cats looked at them in shock, as they stared at Graypaw angrily.

Graypaw felt her muscles go taut under their icy glares. Why did they hate her so much, anyway? she wondered.

Graypaw plopped down onto her nest, the dry bracken crinkling and the moss softening her fall. She sighed in relief, finally off her weary paws.

"How was it?"

She blinked tiredly and just glanced up at her sister, Moonpaw, who was almost vibrating in excitement.

"Good, I guess." Graypaw shrugged sleepily and yawned.

"Just good? Who was there? What did RiverClan look like?" Moonpaw looked like she might go on so Graypaw just sighed loudly, exasperated.

"I'm tired, Moonpaw. Let me sleep." Graypaw curled up, tucking her tail over her nose.

"Oh, right. Will you tell me tomorrow?" Moonpaw asked, only a bit taken aback.

"Sure, sure." Graypaw yawned once more, and then closed her eyes, prepared to drift off to sleep right away.

She didn't remember falling asleep, but now she was in the midst of a grassy field, trees rising up on either side of her. She could smell the scent of wet dew on the plans and tree sap strongly, as well as the smells of mice and squirrels.

She purred, as she placed a paw onto the lush, springy grass.

She quickly bounded out, towards four, towering trees in the distance.

"Hello."

She froze in her tracks and she looked over her shoulder, fur bristling. Who could be in her dreams?

The cat's form was blurry moonlit, blots of light, like stars, spotting its pelt.

She could tell from the cat's broad shoulders and bulky form that it was a tom.

"Hello?" She blinked, surprised. Was she in StarClan?

She froze at the thought. Was she dead?

She gulped audibly and she trembled slightly. "Am I in StarClan?" she asked the tom, whose pelt looked almost fiery.

"Yes." The tom watched her, green eyes locked on her.

She shook.

"Am I dead, then?" she asked him, her mew filled with despair.

"What?" the tom asked, obviously stunned. "No, no. You're alive."

She blinked. Then why was she here?

"I am?" she asked, hopefully. She shuffled her paws, while she watched the ginger tom.

"Yes. You are, Graypaw." the tom meowed curtly, nodding his head.

She backed up a step. "How do you know my name?"

Of course, he was a StarClan cat. He probably knew most everything.

"I've been watching my Clan ever since I lost my last life." The tom watched her, a curious glint to his eyes.

"Last life?" she questioned. "You were a leader?"

"Yes, I was. My name is Firestar." the ginger tom mewed, his green eyes dark with sadness.

Why was he sad?

"Firestar? Like the leader in the elders' stories?" she asked, then, stunned. She was probably gaping at him, beyond surprised.

Why was a past leader of ThunderClan speaking with her? Why would Firestar of all cats waste his time on her-she wasn't a medicine cat or a leader!

Firestar nodded in response to her question, finally. "I suppose. It depends on which stories."

"Okay," she mewed very slowly. "Why am I here?" she asked, too confused not to be blunt.

"I know it must be confusing. It was confusing to me when StarClan cats began to visit me in my dreams, when I was so young." Firestar began quietly. "And I'm sorry I have to burden you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. What was he even talking about?

"Graypaw—you're special." Firestar gazed straight at her, his tone serious.

She believed her jaw dropped in shock. "What?" she asked in stunned shock. She got to her paws, legs shaking a little, and then she ran off. Firestar, or whoever the green-eyed, ginger tom was, called after he, but she didn't stop running.

She didn't stop running until she woke up, a paw nudging her side.


End file.
